Remnant Chronicles
by HiroNinja
Summary: A young man finds himself stranded in a new world, one created from two separate realities. In order to find a way home, he must seek out the only man he believes would be able to send him back. But with this twisted reality wrought by a great war and the creatures of grimm, the long journey will not be so easy. (Rated M for some Coarse Language and Violence)
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**(One of many stories I started but never did anything with. Shorter chapters, but I hope it's interesting, at least!)**

**Chapter 1:  
Prologue**

_The year was 2018 CE_

_War has raged among nations due to rapid development and change in recent decades. _

_The connected loss of strength of traditional religious and ethical norms have also led to many reactions against modern development._

_Violence has become a common occurrence in the daily media, covering the military effort as well as increased coverage of violent crimes throughout civilization._

_All the while, common citizens move about their daily lives, carrying on with thoughts of violence being the farthest thing from a majority of their minds._

_However, this is not a story of this world._

_It is the story of a single young man, who faces a destiny found amongst the soil of a world he did not know existed..._

The world faded into view as Brad's eyes fluttered back open, his head pounding like a drum.

"Guh… What… What happened?" His voice rasped as he pushed himself back into his seat. His head had been resting on the steering wheel in front of him, had he crashed?

Grimacing at the thought of all of the trouble he would have to go through after this, Brad unclipped the belt from his waist, likely the only reason he wasn't thrown through the front windshield of his truck, and pushed the door open. Clumsily, he slid out of the driver's seat on shaky legs to inspect the damage.

Brad frowned at the sight, "Well… it could have been worse."

The grey ford had careened right into a tree, causing the front of the vehicle to crumple inwards from the impact would be a miracle if the thing even started at this point, and wasn't quite worth the effort to try at this point.

"Guess I'll have to call a tow truck… and Mom… and shit, I'll have to call in to work as well." Brad grumbled and leaned against the truck, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

The iphone lit up at his command, and he quickly navigated his way to his contacts list.

"Mom's probably going to lose her shit when she finds out I fell asleep at the wheel." Brad sighed as his phone attempted to connect the call.

After a few moments, the phone responded with a negative tone, and displayed that there was no service to connect.

"Great." Brad huffed and pocketed his phone. It was only about a thirty minute drive to work, but the route was pocketed with a few places that he never seemed to have service in.

Cursing his rotten luck, Brad turned towards the direction the road would be.

It was dark, as he expected it to be. Working the graveyard shift was usually nice for avoiding traffic, but hopefully a few cars would pass by to help.

"Guess I'll go flag someone down… Fuuuuuuck me…" Brad took a deep breath and began walking, thanking his luck that at least he wasn't banged up more than he was, likely just being a few bruises across his body. Nothing he couldn't handle.

"Man, where's the road? How far did I…?" Brad questioned as he walked along, stopping almost thirty meters from where he crashed. More trees being the only thing that he found. Where was there even a forest like this on his route to work?

Brad shook his head and doubled back to his truck, grabbing the barely-used headlamp from underneath the seat before attaching it to his head. Once it was secured and switched on, he resumed his search for the road, this time using the trail from the ford's tires to lead him.

"Guess I should be glad I never clean out my truck." He mused as he trudged along. The back seat of the truck was littered with trash and several odds-and-ends that become useful in random situations. Though explaining why there was a plastic shield and replica sword from the Zelda series was always a chore. In reality, he just couldn't be bothered to clean it out.

"Huh…?" Brad stopped as the trail ended out of nowhere. "Did I catch air somehow? Or is this a bad reenactment of Back To The Future?"

The tire tracks simply ended, and even walking past them a bit further did not reveal any more, disproving the theory that he had 'caught airtime' while asleep at the wheel.

Brad rubbed his eyes and looked around, the forest was just that, a forest. Something he wouldn't normally come across in southern California. Trees didn't grow like this there, at least not naturally.

It wasn't until the young man was at a loss until he moved his gaze to the sky.

His eyes widening, it took only a moment to realize the severity of the situation.

"I'm… not home anymore, am I?" He spoke aloud at the sight of the shattered moon.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Brad took a deep breath and contemplated the facts.

"I left for work, fell asleep at the wheel, and crashed into a tree on another planet." He mused as he turned towards the crash. "And by the looks of that moon, it's likely a planet filled with creatures ready to rip me to pieces." Yeah, he was calm all right.

It was suddenly apparent how vulnerable he was, and how even the spike in his fear was likely ringing a dinner bell for something to come and kill him.

"I need to get back to the truck." He breathed, knowing full well that it might not even start in its condition, but it was the only thing that would be able to stand between him and his demise.

So he began walking, turning his attention to his surroundings with renewed intensity. The walk back seemed to look much longer than it initially did, and after a few seconds of walking he picked up his pace.

Choosing to reach the truck as quickly as possible, Brad ran the rest of the distance before sliding back into the driver's seat.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips. Already feeling slightly more at ease, Brad attempted to start the damaged vehicle. With a turn of the key, the engine whined as it tried to start, whirring helplessly with each turn of the key.

"C'mon… C'mon! This is not the time to be cliche!" Brad growled and continued his attempts as he looked through the windows for any signs of the creatures.

Unfortunately, his fear mixed with the noise of the car was like a beacon, and from the behind a group of bushes prowled a large wolf-like creature, draped in black with bone-like plates coating it's hide.

A beowolf.

"Any time now!" Brad begged for the engine to start, his heart beginning to pound in his chest as he desperately turned the key again and again.

The beowolf glared at the strange object that seemed to be emitting fear and a sound it had never heard before.

With a growl, it steadily drew closer it's eyes practically widening as it caught sight of the young man inside. It's instincts told it to roar, and roar it did.

"Fuck- Start dammit!" Brad screamed and pounded his foot against the pedals as the Grimm began charging.

The whine of the engine turned into a roar of its own as Brad slammed it into reverse.

The Grimm, caught off guard, crashed into the tail-end of the truck before being dragged underneath as the barely functioning ford drove over the top of it.

"How's my bumper taste you asshole!" Brad yelled, smirking as his luck finally started coming his way.

His expression plummeted as a large paw rose from the front of the truck, digging its claws into the bent metal of the hood in retaliation.

"Shit!" Brad yelled and floored the pedal, pulling the truck off of the beowolf and careening backwards into the forest as it clung angrily to the grey vehicle.

It took every ounce of control he had to keep the truck from flying into another tree as he drove backwards between trees trying to shake off the Grimm.

"Let- GO!" Brad shouted and flung the wheel to the left, spinning the front end of the truck around and flinging the beowolf off of the hood. Sliding the gearbox out of reverse, Brad pushed the ford as fast as it could go and ran the recovering Grimm over as he peeled away, making sure it wasn't chasing him in his rearview mirror. More beowolves had emerged and surrounded their injured brethren, but the truck was already going fast enough to outpace them, at least he hoped.

Brad sighed and brought a hand to his chest, "Huff… that was TOO close…"

Finally able to think without overgrown wolves breathing down his neck, Brad settled into thinking while he cruised along.

"Okay, this IS Remnant then. Those beowolves all but confirmed it." Brad mused, he had been a big fan of RoosterTeeth and the series RWBY that they created. "But why am I here? I don't remember anything after leaving for work…" He checked his watch, "...forty-five minutes ago. Which means I wasn't asleep for more than about thirty minutes, I think."

Brad leaned forward onto the steering wheel, "I wonder if I still have a notebook somewhere in here… Writing down my thoughts would help." A quick glance at the dashboard reminded him of another problem, "Ah right… I only have maybe an hour's worth of fuel left. Fan-tastic."

He let out another sight as he focused on driving. WIth no idea where he was, he was going to have to drive until he found somewhere to stay. Sure, he could try climbing a tree to get an idea of what his surroundings were, but that relied on his truck being able to start again, his ability to not break his own neck falling from said tree, and being lucky enough that no Grimm would show up to pick him off like a quick snack.

Driving blindly it was.

With only the shattered moon and a single headlight to light his way, Brad just crossed his fingers in hope that he wouldn't run out of gas too soon. He was pretty sure the next gas-station was lightyears away.

[Valkyria Chronicles Anime OP]


	2. Chapter 2: Through the Remnants of War

**Chapter 2:  
Through the Remnants of War**

_Nearly forty minutes after awakening in a familiar yet new land, the young man finds the length of his hope tested, as his journey continues on._

_As flora and fauna pass by as though a blur, the chances of his survival dwindle in the harsh environment plagued by darkness and destruction._

_Through the despair, he clings to his hope, pushing himself forward towards what lies beyond the trees..._

The rumble and whine of the damaged engine eases as Brad pulls his beaten and battered truck to an idle.

"A path?" he questions as he leans closer to the windshield.

It is indeed. An old dirt path extending before him, leading to destinations unknown.

Falling back into his seat he crosses his arms, "Finally we're getting somewhere… but which way?"

Eying the fuel gauge, Brad reasons that he maybe has fifteen… maybe thirty minutes of gas if he was lucky, but luck had been funny lately so he doubted he had that luxury.

"Random then…" He concluded, reaching into his left pocket for a coin or- "Ah, this'll work."

With a grin he pulls out of his pocket a dice, one of many he was sure he had lying around even in the truck. Being a tabletop gamer caused countless dice to invade his life over time.

"Odds left, evens right." He muttered and rolled the dice atop the dashboard. "Two. Right it is."

Pocketing the dice, Brad pulled the truck onto the road, thankful that the ride would be at least a LITTLE smoother.

Feeling a little more at ease, Brad maneuvered his hands around the front seat, connecting his phone to the radio's aux cable like he had many times before. He had no worries about using the device while driving, because hey, who was going to pull him over for a ticket? The Grimm?

Sliding over to his music library, Brad picked a song from the long list of music he had downloaded over the years. Songs for every occasion.

As the familiar tune picked up, he turned the volume up and rolled down the last working window of the truck, thankfully the driver's side, and let the cool night air wash over the inside of the cab.

"Life's like a road that you travel on, when there's one day here and the next day gone…" Singing along Brad tried to keep himself from thinking too hard about the forest of Grimm and the fact that he'll never be able to download any new music until he got home.

If he could get home.

"Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand, sometimes you turn your back to the wind…"

It also helped that it kept him from drawing more Grimm due to his negative emotions. While he considered himself to be a positive person, it didn't mean he was fearless or anything.

Hell, if it wasn't for the less-than-warm welcome he received, driving through the forest with the light of the moon shining was almost peaceful.

The path continued on, as did the song. Brad did his best to focus on the lyrics while keeping the truck moving. After a while he rolled the window back up. The fresh air was nice, but it was pretty chilly out.

The heat from the truck's vents warmed him up quickly, almost making it feel as though it was a normal drive to work.

Brad chuckled at the thought.

Eventually the song neared its end, and Brad found himself pulling to a stop. Twisting the volume control so the music was only faintly audible, he opened the door and pushed himself up to look over the top of the cab.

A sign?

It was a metal sign, almost like something you would see on the side of a highway on Earth, nearly twenty feet wide and not even five tall.

It was dark, but the beams from the headlight were able to catch the print inscribed on it: 'Fort Gallia'.

"Huh…" Brad hummed as he processed the name, "Maybe some kind of military outpost?"

It wouldn't be too strange. Remnant had Huntsman and Huntresses, sure, but they also had established militaries, as far as he could recall. After all, Atlas had General Ironwood commanding both of those factions according to the show, and speaking of Atlas.

Brad's eyes drifted to the rightmost part of the sign. Printed next to peeling words, 'Fort Gallia', was a faded Atlas emblem.

"So that would make this Atlas territory… right?" Brad mused as he reevaluated the terrain. "Perhaps not though, it doesn't feel cold enough or white enough to be Atlas…"

The lack of snow and excess of green was definitely noteworthy.

"Guess I have no other choice… I just hope nobody shoots me to bits as I pull up." Brad shuddered slightly before shaking the worry out of his mind. Hopefully his own military experience would help him talk his way through any checkpoints, at least enough so that he would be out of the forest.

Taking a deep breath Brad slipped back into the cab and shut the door, bringing the music volume back up as the next song continued to play.

"Wake up, leave your hesitation..."

A song and a half later left Brad pulling through the remains of an old military guardpost.

He could see the buildings from a distance but it was quickly apparent that there would be no one to greet him once he saw the state of disrepair the front gate was in. Honestly, it unnerved him.

Brad parked the truck in the main compound, nearer to some of the more official looking buildings as he finally switched off the engine. The gas light was on and this was probably the end of the line for the poor vehicle.

Brad bit his lip as he stepped out of the cab. His phone was fully charged on airplane mode after being plugged in during the ride, and he switched the flashlight function on as he looked over the outpost.

Sure enough, the place was devoid of life, human or otherwise. Windows were broken, some doors swinging freely on busted hinges, and rusting equipment littered the area.

The word 'junkyard' came to mind.

"This place is a dump…" Brad commented with a frown.

He was going to have to investigate the place at least, but without the security of being inside the truck he was going to need something to fight with in case he came across any… undesirables.

The replica sword came to mind. Unfortunately it was just that, a replica. It may have been metal, but it was dull and filed blunt so he could use it at conventions. Even if it wasn't, it probably wouldn't do him much good since it wasn't designed for actual use.

Instead, he reached between the front seats and retrieved the old machete he had stashed away.

It was given to him as thanks from an acquaintance but aside from using it to grill burgers once—during a hilarious visit to the beach without a spatula—it was hardly ever taken out of its sheath.

Slipping the loops of the sheath around his belt Brad ensured he could remove it easily and began his search.

The fort itself was rather small, likely not being a major outpost when it was in use but possibly placed in a strategic location at some point. Why it was abandoned, he could only theorize. It could have been Grimm, but the lack of any corpses and evidence of looting made it hard to confirm. The occupants may have fled during their wartime or were forced to evacuate for some reason.

Well, it didn't matter. Brad grunted and pushed more debris out of the way as he moved from room to room.

He found a barracks, though most of the bedding and useful materials were gone. Likely taken by looters. The years had not been kind to this place.

Brad held back a chuckle, this investigation made him feel like some kind of detective, and in a way he was. Trying to figure out what had happened was something detectives in shows and games would do.

Opening the next door revealed a mess hall or canteen of some kind, a place for people to eat at some point. Tables were upturned and damaged lights hung loosely from the ceiling.

"The years have not been kind, indeed." Brad hummed. Food would be important, so he moved towards the kitchen area.

He was met with barren pantries and smells from the fridges that made him think better of opening them. Not a scrap was left.

"Damn… it would have been to easy, huh?" All he had to eat was the lunch he made for work and a protein bar he had left in the truck. It wouldn't last him long.

With a sigh, he left the canteen.

The majority of the outpost was the same way, leaving little to scavenge and even less of a hope for long survival. Brad took to focusing on the situation as though it WERE a game to keep him from feeling negativity, clinging to the hope that he would find something.

"This looks promising." Brad shone his light across an official looking door, fancier than most of the others with an intricate design on it and the letters 'CO' written in bold.

Trying the handle proved to be useless as the lock was still engaged after all of this time.

Biting back a curse Brad took a step back, "I hope this works like it does in the movies." Lining up his boot once, then twice, Brad through is foot into the space above the handle.

"Hah!" With a crash and splintering of wood the door burst open, the rotting wood making the task all the more easy.

"That. Was awesome." Brad smiled widely at the rush from the kick. "Now let's see what we have in here."

The room was in better shape than the rest of the building, but it was obvious that the previous occupant had some time to clear out as drawers were left open and empty in a more orderly manner than one who would be looting the place. Nothing seemed to be broken—aside from the door of course— but everything was definitely aged and had a thin layer of dust on it.

Brad entered the room and let his light pass over everything, "I wonder why no one has looted this place yet." It was rather easy to get into, and even though the door was rather heavy it was also pretty old.

"Maybe the place was looted right after it was abandoned?" He theorized as he rifled through some of the drawers. "I guess it would make sense, since the door would have been much harder to break down then."

He rubbed his chin in thought, "Maybe it wasn't worth the trouble. There would have been plenty else to grab, and with Grimm in the forest you wouldn't want to stay here too long."

Brad ignored the irony that he was here looking for sanctuary himself amidst the previously mentioned forest.

"Hmm? What have we here?" The lowest drawer near the wall revealed a set of clothing. Brad slipped his phone snugly between his belt and jeans as he pulled them out.

They were blue, with red accents and looked warm. The design was military in nature and came with a set of boots that looked equally warm. It was surprising that the whole thing seemed to be intact, perhaps the material aged well or the drawer sealed much better than he thought.

"I guess it's something. At least I'll have a change of clothes." The design actually tickled his mind, and looked familiar. Actually, didn't Atlas have white uniforms? Maybe these were older design…

Brad held the top piece up to get a better look and nearly jumped when something fell from the folds, hitting the floor with a clatter.

The sudden noise amidst the silence startled him, and he forced himself to relax lest he draw the Grimm.

"What the hell was-" Brad's eyes dropped to where the object fell before lighting up. "Oh yes!"

Brad reached down and picked up the handgun that had been hidden away in the clothing.

"Things are looking up." The small weapon brought with it a feeling of safety just holding it. The design was definitely old-school, being a mix of metal and wood. It came with a magazine loaded, thankfully, and used rounds that Brad had never seen before, likely using a form of Dust given his environment.

"Eight shots." He muttered, inspecting the firearm. "It'll have to do." Brad stuck the gun into the back of his jeans and retrieved his phone as he continued his search.

"What've we here?" Finally reaching the main desk in the room, Brad swiped his hands over a large sheet of paper, wiping a layer of dust away.

A map!

Brad turned the map around so he could read it over, wiping more dust away as he did so.

"Maybe I can find…" He began as he scanned the map. Although his memory of the world of Remnant wasn't the best, it was easy to make out the continent on the map "Sanus…" The map read, "This should be the continent for Vale and… Vacuo, I think."

Sure enough, both Kingdoms were depicted on the map, as well as Fort Gallia which was near the southern coast and nowhere near either of them.

"Ahhhh… Shit." Brad cursed and gripped his hand tight into a fist.

It would take him ages to get to Vale even if his truck had the fuel for it. On foot with no food supply? He had no chance.

Brad sighed and rubbed his eyes as he leaned over the desk before returning his attention to the map.

"Maybe there's a settlement closer to here I can get to…" The map was outdated, but maybe the depicted towns still existed. If they didn't fall to Grimm that is.

"Here." Brad tapped his finger thoughtfully at a small village, the closest thing to where he was on the map. "Maybe… a three day hike?" He frowned. "I still won't make that on foot." Not with the Grimm and only 8 bullets to his name.

With a huff Brad rolled the map up and slipped it under his arm along with the uniform he had found.

He was going to need to find another ride.

As the night continued on, Brad thanked his work schedule for making him comfortably nocturnal.

While it may have been about three in the morning to most people—the equivalent of being the dead of night—was actually about lunch time for him.

And his stomach was making that known.

"Shut up you." Brad grumbled at his protesting abdomen. "I barely have any food so I have to make it last."

Shoving his hunger to the side as best he can, he lifted the hood of another damaged jeep of some kind.

"No battery… again." He huffed. The compound held nothing but jeeps that had been looted for parts in the past of were damaged beyond repair. "There's gotta be something, c'mon…"

It would have been easy to siphon fuel for his truck to get on the road, if Remnant didn't use Dust for everything.

"Maybe I missed something-"

A distant howl pulled Brad from his thoughts as the pistol was in his hand in an instant, his phone crossed underneath to shine the light.

It was getting dangerous staying here, even one person's fear would surely be enough for the negative emotions to spread over time. He needed to find transportation soon.

Relaxing, Brad returned to his search, pistol in hand.

There was one place he couldn't check before, and his curiosity dragged him back over to a large pair of garage doors. Trying to open them had proved to be pointless, being too heavy and having rusted shut long ago.

Instead, Brad wandered around the side, to another, smaller door.

Unlike the one he had kicked in, the CO's office, this one was metal and had a large lock of its own above the handle. It was as old as the rest of the outpost, so it should still be much weaker than it was in its heyday.

Still, kicking it was probably not going to help this time, he would need a lot more force than what his foot could produce…

…

...wait. The truck!

Going with his train of thinking, Brad rushed back to the truck and slid the pile of looted items off the driver's seat. The engine whined but complied as it started and he pulled his improvised battering ram around to the back of the garage. Lining the tail-end of the truck up with the locked door, Brad hit reverse and slammed the bumper into the barrier.

"Knock knock." With a crunch of metal the bumper crumpled, but thankfully knocked the door off its rusted hinges.

"Alright, let's see what we've got!" Brad cheered and squeezed through the opening he had created. Like everywhere else, it was dark. But this building had been the least touched and the most locked up so it was a potential gold mine.

"Tools... Parts… Oil?" Brad smelled the can sitting on the table before holding back a gag. "Oil." he confirmed. This was definitely a garage or repair shop.

There were crates and old bits of equipment laying around, but walking further in revealed something that piqued Brad's interest.

"Hy hello…" He greeted a large tarp, draped across something near the middle of the garage. "What have we here then?" Setting his phone light atop one of the crates to aim at the tarp, Brad moved to grab a handful before pulling hard.

"Seems a bit big for a car. Maybe it's on a stand or something." Brad heaved the tarp as he wondered aloud, eventually letting gravity pull the last of it to the floor.

His jaw followed it on the way down.

A tank.

Beneath the tarp was a tank.

Sweet Remnant gods was this a find.

The faded blue color of the armor might as well have been shining with how much Brad was smiling.

"...this." Brad chuckled and placed his hand on the cold metal as the grin worked its way to his face. "This'll do."


	3. Chapter 3: Iron Horse

**Chapter 3:  
Iron Horse**

_With the discovery of the aging Atlesian tank, the young man's hope and determination rekindled from below the shattered moonlight.  
Unable to secure any other operational forms of transportation, the unfamiliar technology was his last opportunity for a safe passage through the forest.  
With daylight fast approaching and only a meager food supply, efforts were focused on bringing the mobile armor online at any cost..._

Preparing the tank for the long journey proved to be more difficult than expected. After all, there was bound to be a reason that it was left to rust in the garage all of those years ago.

And according to the maintenance sticker slapped onto the side of the armor, it was in dire need of replacement parts in order for it to even start up.

"Faulty engine cores… Damaged wiring system… Missing driver's seat- Are you kidding me?!" Brad's eyes had widened at the list of repairs it would take. All of which he would have to perform himself.

In the end there was nothing that could be helped, it was the closest thing he had to an operational vehicle, the next best thing being modifying his own truck with a Dust-based engine replacement, and that was about as likely to happen as it was for him to make the whole journey on foot.

Having worked with electronics for several years, replacing the wiring was a fairly simple task, if not tedious. He was forced to open up numerous panels and make several assumptions in order to find the wiring in question.

There were no maintenance handbooks for the tank lying around—something that caused him a fair amount of disappointment—but as long as the wiring itself was simply damaged, he could replace the faulty wires without the schematics.

The driver's seat was easier, finding the task easy enough as frankensteining one from one of the jeeps outside a valid solution.

Even with the simplicity of the first two tasks, the amount of time it took to actually replace the wiring had left him with the first signs of morning start to appear on the horizon.

The hardest part was now getting the engine cores to work, whatever those were.

Brad rubbed his eyes from the newly installed driver's seat, fighting off the exhaustion of the long night.

"What I wouldn't give for coffee or an energy drink right now..." He grumbled as he mulled over something else that had bothering him.

He had seen this tank before. At least, he thought he did, but RWBY never showed any tanks in the show unless you counted the Atlesian Paladin. Maybe he was just tired.

At least running around the garage gave him the opportunity to find several things. One obviously being a plethora of tools and hardware that he had quickly claimed for his own use. Another great discovery was finding a few more magazines for the Dust-pistol inside the tank as well as ammunition for the tank itself. All of which was stored inside the tank along with the tarp except for the ammo for his pistol, which he kept on him.

With a tired sigh Brad hoisted himself up and through the hatch above him, directly above the driver's seat. He could think about the familiarity of the tank later, for now he needed to focus on getting it working.

"The engine should be in the back, I think." He said as he hopped to the ground.

At the back of the tank was a pair of radiator-like protrusions, fitted side-by-side with two circular hatches between them, these placed one atop of the other.

The 'radiators' were intact, thankfully, but definitely were showing signs of age with small sections of the fins chipped off or bent out of shape.

"Hmm." Brad hummed and pulled a flathead screwdriver out of his pocket, having been using it for the last few hours.

Sliding the tool between the bent fins, he carefully peeled the semi-thin metal out, straightening them as much as possible before doing the same with the other side.

"That'll do I suppose." It wasn't pretty, but everything helped at this point.

Moving to the center, Brad inspected the two hatches, each nearly a foot in diameter, before trying to open the lower one with a heave and a creak of rust.

With a twist the rust popped away, but instead of opening like a door, the object unlatched and began to slide out with a bit of effort.

"Whoa-!" To Brad's surprise the cylindrical object was much heavier than anticipated, and nearly brought him to the floor in surprise.

He caught himself, and brought it up for inspection.

The Cylinder was intact, and weighed almost the same amount as a small car battery. Intricate lines of thin tubing ran throughout it, and had an almost hypnotizing light blue glow to them.

The most notable detail, he found, was directly in the center of the whole thing was a large crystal, as blue as the sky and shining like the stars.

"Is that… a Dust crystal?"

It had to be. The soft glow, the almost electrical feel about it. It was the power source for the whole thing, and likely filled with volatile energy.

With a gulp at the realization of holding what might be a small explosive in his hands, Brad brought the core back up and gently shoved it back into the slot.

Taking a deep breath, he discerned that he might as well check the second hatch, and reached up to pull the second core out.

…

It was a mistake.

Just as the second core was removed from its place, a jolt of energy sparked from the cylinder, causing him to jump in surprise and drop the core to the floor in shock.

"Wahah!" Brad yelped and closed his eyes, bringing his hands up to cover his face expecting the worst.

After a few seconds passed, Brad cracked open his eyes and warily looked down at the damaged core.

The cylindrical device had hit the concrete floor and split open. The remains of the once energized Dust crystal lay in shards at his feet, devoid of any of its magical properties.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Brad knelt down and checked the device.

The cylinder itself was separated into two pieces, likely forced open when it fell, but seemed to be generally undamaged.

The Dust crystal, however, was useless. Broken into smaller shards and no longer able to be of any use to him.

"Ffffffffff- dammit." Brad cursed under his breath before cutting his losses and sliding the reconnected cylinder back into the tank.

"Well now we know what the faulty core problem was." Brad grumbled as the empty core snapped back into place. "Let's hope this thing will at least drive with only one of them."

Making his way back into the driver's seat, Brad fumbled with the controls as he tried to turn it on.

"Let's give the old grade-school try then." He joked as he twisted the knob labeled 'ignition'.

With a whine louder than his truck the old armor struggled to life, a low rumble from the engine rattling the rusted components and sending dust falling from several surfaces.

"It LIIIIVES~!" Brad shouted in victory, laughing as he checked the screen's that lit up before him. "Just as planned! Oh, baby. This is my ticket out of here."

A few lights began blinking off to the side, indicating systems with errors that Brad was already aware of, but nothing that prevented it from driving. What was important to note was that every display was analogue, solidifying the age of the technology he was riding in.

The most worrying issue that he noticed was the energy levels. With only one core operational, it was forced to take over every load that the tank systems required.

Frowning, Brad looked around the controls and began flipping systems offline to ease the burden. The lights, turret control, radio, anything that wasn't essential for driving.

Even with a majority of the systems offline it was still pushing nearly 80% of what he was allotted. There was no display for how long his fuel-source would last, but hopefully it would get him to somewhere safer so that he could make repairs.

Shit. He was now the proud owner of his own tank. He'd have to name it at some point.

"Alright, Tank." Brad grinned as he placed his hands on the steering wheel, "Let's see if you can actually move."

Brad had never driven a tank before, his only experience being mostly games and anime, but it couldn't be that hard if it used a steering wheel. Right?

Pushing down on one of the pedals resulted in a revving sound. "Okay… which of these is forward?" Brad reached down and pushed a lever forward.

Oops.

With a creak and a lurch, the multiple ton machine groaned forward faster than anticipated, slamming turret first into the garage door and effortlessly forcing it off of its mount and onto the dirt, allowing the tank to drive over the top of it.

Big oops.

Pulling the lever back into neutral, the tank rattled to a stop as Brad struggled to calm his breathing.

That made a LOT of noise.

Opening the hatch and leaning outside Brad ensured that the tank was still in one piece before looking around the outpost grounds.

The sun was now shining across the forest and lighting the fort with its warmth. It would have been a beautiful morning if the threat of Grimm wasn't so prevalent.

"Time to pack." Brad concluded as he quickly hopped out of the tank once more and jogged to retrieve the last of his belongings from the truck.

After stuffing the spare clothes and as many of his possessions as he could into a duffel bag from the garage, Brad hesitated before deciding to park the truck inside the garage.

Brad moved the battered vehicle and ensured that it was locked out of habit, stuffing the keys in his pocket before turning back to the tank-

-and pulling out his pistol as a beowolf charged at him.

Two shots rang out before he leaped to the side, cursing his hasty plan as the concrete nearly knocked the wind out of him..

"Fuck!" Brad recovered, hoisting his bag higher onto his shoulder, and retreated to the side door, firing off three more shots as the beast closed in.

Fortunately, the Grimm was too large to fit through the human sized door properly, and roared in protest as it swiped at him, claws barely grazing his face as he stepped back.

Taking aim once more, Brad fired three more shots at the creature's face, receiving a whine before it dropped to the floor.

Another set of howls kept him from relaxing as two more beowolves appeared from the direction of the tank.

"Double fuck!" Brad swore and took off towards the main building, reaching it and bursting through a set of doors as the Grimm gave chase. They must have been close if they were able to hear when the tank crashed through the garage.

The doors behind him burst open a second time as the Grimm forced their way inside, the hallway large enough for them to follow.

"I have to get to the Tank!" Brad took a sharp turn at a corner as the closer Grimm slid past with the unexpected change in direction. The building wasn't too large, which left few options to escape.

Ducking into one of the office rooms offered Brad a chance to breathe, the doorway being too small for the Grimm as he reloaded the pistol.

"Sixteen." He counted and fired at the doorway once the Grimm showed its face. It took five shots to the head before it finally died, the second one taking its place. Three more shots emptied his gun and had the final Grimm falling to the floor.

"Eight…" Brad mumbled, reloading again and running back into the hall.

He made his way to the door closest to the Tank and peered through the glass. Several more Grimm, all beowolves, were appearing from the forest. A whole pack.

"Aw- Clusterfuck!" Brad spat as he tried to gauge his chances.

Taking a deep breath, he flung the door open and made a sprint to the safety of the tank.

The Grimm saw, and they charged.

Unshouldering his bag, Brad clambered atop the tank and dropped into the seat, pulling his belongings in after him and slamming the hatch closed second before the tank shuddered from a Grimm ramming into it.

Brad slammed the lever forward and brought the pedal down as far as it would go. With a loud roar the metal sanctuary plowed forward.

Brad eyed the power draw as it jumped to 90% and cringed. He really couldn't drive and fight in this at the same time without another core.

Bringing his attention to the small driver's window, Brad angled the tank towards the exit.

He couldn't see any Grimm, but the howls and clanging of metal from directly above him meant he still had problems.

Dropping the bag onto the accelerator, Brad quickly moved to the back of the cab and opened the top hatch. As expected, there was a grimm attempting to claw its way into the driver's hatch below.

It turned as it heard him reveal himself and roared angrily as Brad drew his gun once more.

"GET! OFF! MY! TANK!" Brad shouted, each work capitalized with a shot from his pistol.

His shots were inaccurate, due to the speeds they were moving, but he kept shooting until the pistol ran dry and the Grimm fell from the tank, alive, but probably not for much longer with how many holes it now had.

"Zero." Brad said under his breath, returning to the safety of the cab and shutting the hatch before taking control of the tank once more.

Thankfully the road to the fort was long enough that he didn't crash while he tried that stupid stunt. Unfortunately, he was now out of ammo for his pistol and sure that the Grimm would chase him until they got tired.

If they got tired.

Angry howls and roars could still be heard behind him, albeit not as close as before. The tank actually was fairly speedy even after so long, keeping him just a bit faster than his pursuers.

Actually… that reminded him how the tank felt familiar.

"Say… wasn't there a tank like this in one of my games?" Brad thought aloud. "What was that again…"

Hr racked his brain as his eyes wandered to the duffel bag. Opening it revealed the blue uniform he had taken from the fort. It was blue with crimson markings like the tank had. There was no nametag on it, but it didn't take long for Brad to finally realize the connection and similarities to-

"Valkyria Chronicles?" He asked in disbelief, "But why would it…?"

It made little sense.

He was finally on his way, and he let out a sigh as his adrenaline receded and left him even more tired than he was before.

"No time for sleep…" He groaned and leaned forward, eying the road.

**(Next chapter has more characters, promise!)**


	4. Chapter 4: A Chance Encounter

**Chapter 4 (A Chance Encounter)**

_Leaving Fort Gallia behind him, the young man began _

_his Journey to the North, towards the Kingdom of Vale._

_His only hope of returning home was to seek out Ozpin,_

_the great wizard and headmaster of Beacon Academy._

_However, with a shortage of supplies, his first destination was the small _

_settlement of Bruhltown, one of the southernmost villages on his map._

"Dammit, can't a guy have five minutes of shut-eye without having a knock at the door!"

My voice rang throughout the cabin of the battered tank as I squirmed my way back into the driver's seat. The cause of my distress was a pair of Boarbatusks that were taking enjoyment in smacking their bodies into the side of the Edelweiss.

Over the last day and a half I had decided to give it the same name as its lookalike from Valkyria Chronicles, even if it wasn't very clever of me. Though also because of the chuckle I would get if I happened to run into any of the Schnee family.

Another clang rocked the tank as I switched on the engines and urged the Edelweiss forward. The metal beast lurched forward at my command as we pulled away from the riverside clearing I had chosen to rest in and back onto the dirt road.

"So much for sleeping!" I groaned as I forced my tired eyes to focus through the driver's window once more.

Without any ammunition for the handgun I was left with attempting to outrun my pursuers once again. Firing the tank's weapons would likely result in overloading the power systems. Thankfully, most of the grimm would wise up to the futility of their attacks and give up to return to their nests, but I was getting sick of being mostly defenseless.

The engine whined as the tank picked up speed, and after nearly ten minutes of being knocked around the two grimm ended their pursuit and retreated to their territory.

I groaned once I realized it was over and rubbed the tiredness from my eyes. My growling stomach reminded me that I was out of food.

"Ignore it Brad…" I told myself, "Just gotta get to Bruhltown…"

While the tank was cutting down the travel time and the amount of energy I needed to expend to get there, I was utterly exhausted from the lack of food and sleep. Each time I would attempt to get some rest, I was awoken by varying numbers of grimm searching for a snack.

It didn't matter what time I tried, something always showed up. Though, I did notice that it was less dangerous to sleep during the daylight hours, as the number of grimm seemed higher at night.

It was about noon on the day after I had left Fort Gallia. I had eaten my work lunch on the first day and the single protein bar sometime around midnight. I had slept a grand total of four hours during that time according to my watch and phone, and I was certain that the Edelweiss was also starting to run on fumes.

Overall, things could be better.

I had decided to change into the uniform I had found back at the fort after the first day. It got pretty cold during the night, and the uniform was much warmer than my jeans and jacket were. I didn't wear the hat, though, and kept my sunglasses on my head instead. I liked them.

Keeping my weary eyes on the road, I fumbled around for the map of Sanus before opening it up as much as possible to get my bearings.

"Hmm…" My eyes switched between the map and viewport as I tried to remember where I was, "Not much further I guess. A few hours maybe?"

I let out a sigh and shoved the map back behind me. The map wasn't very detailed, so I could only trust that the village was along the road I was on like it depicted. If it wasn't…

I shook my head and pushed myself to my feet. I needed air, so I pushed the driver's hatch open and stuck my head through it.

The sun was warm and the air rushing past me was cool, helping me push my exhaustion as far back into my mind as I could. The roar of the Edelweiss's engine cut through the silence of the peaceful-seeming woods.

My stomach growled again, "Just a bit longer…"

_***Bang* Bang***_

The rifle barked as its wielder took aim at the large grimm that was chasing them.

"Can't this thing go any faster?!" the girl asked desperately as she forced a fresh clip of ammunition into the rifle.

From the driver's seat of the truck, an older male voice replied, "The cargo's weighin' us down! This's as fast ash she'll take us!"

"Tch!" The girl bit back a curse as she continued her attack against the Ursa Major from the bed of the truck.

The vehicle was packed with boxes and crates, supplies from a sister settlement over the eastern mountains. They had made the return trip with almost no trouble, but their luck was apparently out, and the large beast had surprised them as they descended into the forest.

The truck rattled and bucked as it tried to outpace the grimm, but the promise of food in the form of them as well as the supplies proved very enticing for the creature, so it continued the chase.

The driver began to panic, "We're gonna haf to lighten the load!"

"Don't you dare!" the girl shouted, another of her shots bouncing off the armor of the Ursa, "We have people that need this medicine! Just keep driving!"

"Confound it! You watchmen are always attractin' trouble!"

"M-Maybe."

The driver glanced to his right at the second Village Watch member as he finished shuffling through his bag and pulled put a hand sized object on a stick.

The boy smiled nervously and leaned out of the passenger window, "But it sure as hell makes life interesting! Alicia, fire in the hole!"

With his shout, the boy tossed the object as hard as he could at the approaching grimm while the girl, Alicia, ducked back behind the wooden tailgate of the truck.

The grenade impacted the side of the Ursa and detonated, causing the beast to stumble with a roar. Unfortunately it didn't stop, and continued chasing them.

"Oscar, we got any more?!" Alicia asked as she started firing again.

The boy, Oscar, cupped a hand beside his mouth and shouted back ,"That was the last one! And we still have at least an hour until we reach Bruhltown!"

Alicia grit her teeth and tried to come up with a plan.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" called the driver, "Shoulda never let a couple o' kids handle protectin' me! Damn Watch Captain doesn't know what she's doin'!"

Alicia glared over her shoulder, "Shut your mouth or I'll feed you to the Ursa myself!"

"Alicia, just keep firing!" Oscar yelled as he brought his own rifle up and firing at the grimm from the window, "And you keep driving!"

The driver clenched his jaw but pushed the pedal as hard as he could into the floor, begging the truck to go faster as they turned north at a fork in the road.

Oscar pulled himself back inside as he attempted to load more rounds into his rifle before leaning out once more. Though, he didn't fire when he saw what was now behind them.

"Alicia!" The boy pointed behind them, "Do you see that!"

Alicia stopped firing and followed Oscar's finger as it pointed behind the pursuing grimm. She craned her neck, but aside from a growling noise couldn't see beyond the Ursa.

"It looks like-!" Oscar's jaw dropped, "A-Alicia there's a tank back there!"

Alicia's eyes widened, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bruhltown didn't have any tanks stationed this far from the village, why was one this far out here?

Apparently the Ursa didn't expect it either, as once it heard the sound of a roaring engine behind it, it slowed down to curiously look behind it.

That was its mistake as the large armored vehicle rammed into the beast at full speed, smashing it aside as the tank driver attempted to keep the machine on the road.

Alicia's breath caught at the sight of the faded Atlesian crest on the front, "That's an Atlas tank!"

"Atlas?!" Oscar stiffened, "W-What are they doing out here?!"

Alicia gripped the wooden tailgate, "I-I don't know! But one shot from that canon-!"

Oscar turned to the driver, "We need to outrun that tank!"

"Boy! What the hell d'ya think I'm doin'!"

Alicia brought her rifle up and aimed futilely at the tank. The truck was faster, but they were easily in range of the canon; sitting ducks on the dirt road.

But then the unexpected happened, the tank slowed as the turret head began to spin around.

"What's it doing?!" Oscar questioned. Alicia only watched in stunned silence, her aim falling from the machine as her arms brought the rifle down in surprise.

The Watch members tensed as a roar sounded from behind their new pursuer, the Ursa Major was still chasing them.

With a lurch, the tank slowed further, and more suddenly then before, and then-

_ROOOAAAAAR- __***BOOM***_

-the canon fired at the Ursa, cutting off its roar.

Everyone in the truck gaped as the tank crawled to a halt, its engine screeching in protest before running silent.

Alicia shook herself from the shock, turning to the driver, "Stop the truck!"

"WHAT?! Are ya crazy, girl?! We gotta skedaddle before one of those nasties gets after us!"

"No!" Alica demanded, "Whoever was in that tank saved us, we need to help them!"

"Alicia! What are you saying?!" Oscar struggled to understand her reasoning, "That was an Atlas tank! Why would it-"

"You're outa yer mind if you think I'm stoppin' for some Atlesian's sake!" The driver shouted. Another roar proved that the Ursa was still alive.

Alicia steeled her gaze, "Turn this heap around or I'll make sure your wife know's what you were up to on our trip!"

The driver cringed at the threat, "Damn watchmen!"

With a jerk, the truck curved around and began traveling back down the road at high speeds. Alicia used the cargo to steady herself as she moved towards the cab.

As she leaned onto the top of the truck's cab, she could see the large grimm knocking its front paws against the stalled tank. She could hear rev's from the machine as the crew inside tried to start it, but it was struggling to engage.

"Oscar, that grimm took a direct hit from that tank!" Alicia called, "Aim for the fresh openings in its armor!"

Oscar gulped, but leaned out the window again in compliance, "A-Aye ma'am!"

"Open fire!"

The two members of the Bruhltown Watch began firing at the weakened Ursa Major. The grimm bucked as the rounds dug into its body, and turned its head towards the approaching truck with a low growl.

"Keep driving past it!" Alicia ordered.

The Ursa turned to follow the humans as they sped by, its body was burned and leaking the black substance all grimm bled. The truck slowed and turned once more, but under Alicia's command, it did not approach.

The truck's occupants watched as the grimm began advancing on them at a much slower pace, its injuries finally taking its toll.

It tried to roar in anger once more, but its weak cry was dwarfed by the sound of the tank's engine igniting.

A blue glow emitted from the damaged radiators on the back of the war machine as the canon angled downwards at the ground beneath the Ursa. The Ursa turned at the sound, almost as though surprised that the metal beast was still alive.

A few seconds passed as the two powers seemed to stare each other down.

Then the Ursa exploded.

The canon had fired again, and what remained of the grim slowly began to fade into wisps of black mist as they were carried off by the wind.

The glow from the tank fizzled and sparked before dying completely, a faint trail of smoke rising from where it once shone. A single hatch opened at the top, letting out a larger plume of smoke from inside.

Alicia realized that she had been staring for several seconds with her mouth wide open before shaking herself from her shock.

"Oscar, stay with Mr. Pemeon. I'm going to secure the tank." Alicia ordered as she hopped out of the back of the truck.

Oscar jumped at his name, "W-Wait what? You're going near that thing?!"

"Yes." Alicia replied plainly.

"That's- But they- It's dangerous!"

Alicia rolled her eyes, "It's obviously not much of a threat, given how much smoke it's billowing. And if they wanted us dead, they would have just let that Ursa Major have us for lunch." she stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

Oscar sputtered but could do nothing as Alicia jogged towards the disabled tank. She wasn't stupid, though, and raised her rifle once she was close.

"This is Alicia Melchiott from the Bruhltown Watch." she commanded, "Identify yourselves and disembark the vehicle with your hands in the air."

At first, there was no response as the last bit of smoke was expelled from the cabin. But Alicia readied herself when she saw a hand grasp the edge of the hatch.

With a grunt, a single occupant hoisted themselves out of the tank and collapsed onto the top of it. Alicia could see blood running down the man's head, but waited for the rest of the crew to show themselves.

"I say again, disembark the vehicle!"

When no one else appeared, Alicia began to grow frustrated. She trained her rifle on the blue-dressed man that had crawled out, "Tell the rest of your crew to come out of the tank."

The man rolled over and inspected her with tired eyes, He was younger than she expected, but wouldn't be fooled. If he was Atlesian, he could still probably be dangerous.

"I… am the crew…" the boy groaned.

Alicia frowned, "Don't lie! A tank like that must have at least a few operators. I'm not an idiot!"

"Ha… Hehah…"

Alicia clenched her jaw as the man chuckled, "This isn't funny! Now hurry up and-"

"There's… no one else… inside." The man said with a tired voice. With a groan the young man pushed himself up to a sitting position as Alicia ensured that he wasn't reaching for a weapon. "Are you guys alright?"

Alicia tilted her head at the question, but replied, "Our group is fine, Not that an Atlesian would care about that."

The boy stared blankly at her statement, "I'm not Atlesian…"

"A likely story!" Alicia fumed, "You're piloting a Atlesian tank, with markings of the same, and wearing an Atlesian uniform, albeit outdated."

The young man checked over his attire for a moment as though realizing what he was wearing for the first time before grasping and shaking his head, "I can explain that, just… give me a second to clear my head."

"You're saying you can explain why you're an Atlesian soldier?" Alicia questioned.

The boy waved his hands, "No- I mean yes- I mean... That's a trick question!"

"Explain!" Alicia demanded.

The boy grumbled, "It's not complicated… I just found this stuff."

Alicia deadpanned, "You found a tank."

He nodded.

"Where did you find a tank?"

"Fort Gallia-"

"So you ARE from Atlas?"

The boy groaned and rubbed his head, "Look, it's not that crazy."

"What were you even doing at Fort Gallia? It's been abandoned for years."

The boy blinked, "Okay… maybe it's just a LITTLE crazy."

Alicia glared at him for several seconds before lowering her weapon, "Get down from there and explain everything then. And no funny business."

"I'm perfectly comfortable up here, thanks."

Alicia re-aimed her rifle at his head, "That wasn't a request."

"O-Okay! Easy there... Take it easy on the sleep-deprived starving guy." The boy gulped and began making his way off of the tank.

Unfortunately, he lost his footing and slipped off, landing hard on his back.

"Augh!"

Alicia sighed as she heard footsteps behind her, which turned out to be Oscar coming to check on her with the truck pulled up close by.

"Alicia, are you okay?" the boy asked.

Alicia nodded and gestured to the mysterious boy laying on the dirt, "I'm fine. Apparently he's the only one in the tank. Keep an eye on him while I go check."

"A-Alright…" Oscar replied as he curiously watched their new captive. Alicia left the two behind as she clambered up onto the tank and peered into the open hatch.

The boy must have been at least partially truthful, as there were no further occupants that she could see. There was also only a few personal belongings and an assortment of supplies and equipment scattered around or strapped to different places.

Was he telling the truth? The disrepair she could see to the entirety of the vehicle seemed to strengthen his claims of simply finding it.

"Hmm…" she hummed and pulled away from the hatch to observe the boy.

He was currently conversing with Oscar, who looked wary, but wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought he'd be. He'd only been part of the watch for a week, and wasn't used to many of the things they were required to do. He handled himself well enough, though.

Alicia sighed and disembarked the tank.

As her boots hit the ground, the boys's attention turned to her, with their captive still laying on his back.

She leaned her rifle on her shoulder as she looked down at him, "Alright. Your story seems to be believable, but I'm still going to need to take you in for questioning back at the station."

"...would this station happen to be in Bruhltown?" the boy asked.

Alicia glared, "Yes. It is."

"Great!" The boy exclaimed with a weak fist pump, "I was trying to get there myself actually."

Oscar tilted his head, "H-Huh? Why Bruhltown?"

He shrugged, "It's the closest dot on my map and I've been pretty much out of food since yesterday." His statement was punctuated by a growl from his stomach. "Also I haven't slept properly for a few days…"

Alicia shook her head but held out a hand to him, "With those bags under your eyes, I believe it. You're still technically under arrest, for the record."

The boy took her hand as she helped him to his feet, "As long as you don't appropriate my stuff or my tank. I need them to get to Vale."

"The capital?" Oscar questioned, "Why?"

"There's someone there I need to see. I'm kind of a long way from home and… well it's a long story."

"Hmm…" Alicia thought it over, "I'm not entirely sure about the tank, but as long as your innocent, you can keep your belongings."

The boy sighed, "I guess that's as good as I'm going to get, considering." He held his hand out again, "I'm Brad, by the way."

Alicia blinked at the gesture but grasped his hand nonetheless, "Alicia."

Brad turned to her partner who shared the greeting, "Oscar."

Once the introductions were taken care of, Brad shuffled nervously and looked at the tank, "So… how are we going to do this without causing a panic?"

**(I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this little nugget of a story. Didn't expect that. ;w;)**


	5. Chapter 5: Bruhltown

**Chapter 5 (Bruhltown)**

After the encounter of members of the Bruhltown Watch,

the young man finally finds his first meeting with civilization.

With the assistance of Alicia Melchiott and young Oscar Pine, his admittance

into town becomes far less troublesome than what was expected.

I sat up straight with a tight expression on his face.

"Let me just confirm your statement one last time." came the stern words of Bruhltown Watch Captain Glynda Goodwitch. "You claim to have appeared in the southern region of Sanus near the abandoned Fort Gallia from another world. After seeking shelter there, you repaired and commandeered an outdated Atlesian Model VC-1 Mobile Armor Unit. Which you then single-handedly drove for nearly two straight days while wearing Atlesian Combat Fatigues, also outdated. And are now planning to drive straight towards the Capital City in order to speak with an unnamed individual to return home." I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze as she pushed her glasses further up her nose.

"Well… when you say it all like that, it does sound pretty suspicious…" I admitted.

I was currently seated across from her at a table in the Bruhltown Watch Headquarters, which was basically a glorified two-story building they used to coordinate the Watch members.

Alicia and Oscar had escorted me and the Edelweiss back to the town where I was immediately placed under official arrest while they tried to decide if I was a threat or not. I figured I could have weaved a simple story about not remembering anything about how I ended up where I was and lie my way out. But when I saw Goodwitch was the Captain of the watch, I knew I was doomed.

She called my bluffs immediately and demanded I gave her the truth. So, with little choice, I did. I told her everything I could recall from when I woke up in the forest, to when I encountered Alicia and Oscar on the road. She listened quietly throughout my story, only interrupting me to ask a question once or twice until I finished.

Her eyes bore into my soul searching for any evidence of lying, "Regardless of the validity of your story, you have yet to show any ill intent or resistance to any requests made by members of the Bruhltown Watch. I would also like to thank you personally for selflessly coming to the aid of two of our number, as well as a civilian."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, relaxing my shoulders slightly as I waited for her to continue.

"However," Ah, there was the catch, "I'm afraid I will have to ask you to remain in Bruhltown under escort until we can verify your story, to at least some extent."

I fought the urge to slump, trying to retain a modicum of professionalism, "Escort?" I asked.

"That is correct." Captain Goodwitch confirmed, "I am entrusting one of our own with keeping an eye on you while we send a scout team to Fort Gallia for confirmation." Her eyes softened briefly, "Understand that this is all just a precaution on our part."

I nodded, "It's fine. I mean, I understand wanting to keep everyone safe and all."

"Good." Glynda stood up, "We will be holding on to your weapons for safe-keeping, and will provide accommodations for you to rest at during your stay."

"What about the, uh…" I said. I wasn't to sure on how to ask about my tank.

Glynda sighed, "It has been entrusted to a reliable member of the Bruhltown Watch and has had its ignition coils removed while it undergoes repairs." She leveled a serious glare at me before continuing, "You may retrieve your belongings from there if you wish, though I cannot promise you its return to you even after our scouts return from Fort Gallia. Remain here, your escort will be with you shortly."

I quietly cursed my luck as the Captain of the Watch left the room. I rested my head in my fist as I leaned on the table, "Well, at least I made it here safely…" I let out a yawn, "Damn, I'm tired."

I sat up as I heard the sound of the door opening minutes later, and turned to find Alicia enter the room with a less than excited expression on her face. She was still wearing the red ribbon in her pigtailed hair, just like the game.

"You're my escort? I asked without thinking.

Alicia narrowed her eyes, "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all!" I said as I waved my hands defensively, "Just surprised is all." I stood and tugged at the small bandage wrapped around my head.

"How's your head?" Alicia asked.

"Not too bad, I guess. I'm more tired than anything." My stomach chose that moment to make itself known, "And, um, hungry I suppose." Alicia rolled her eyes and turned, motioning for me to follow her.

"C'mon, let's get you something to eat. Brad, right?"

I stood and followed her lead, "Yeah, that's me. And you're Alicia, right?"

"That's me." she mimic'd, "I got most of the details from Captain Goodwitch about your situation. So you're supposed to be from another world, huh?" Alicia proceeded to inspect me from the side of her vision, "Can't say you look the part."

"Sorry for looking like a normal person." I replied blandly.

"I didn't mean anything by it. Though you can't blame me for being skeptical."

I shrugged, "It's fine. Now, about that food."

Alicia giggled as my stomach growled again, "Alright, this way, Mr. Starving."

Alicia proceeded to lead me out of the Headquarters building and out into the streets.

The town itself was actually quite nice. It had a much older feeling to it than anywhere I had visited back home, though, I suppose this was actually quite modern to them here. The roads were paved with stone and a variety of buildings lined the sidewalk.

People of all types walked around on their daily routine. Some managing shops or stalls, while others simply appeared to be casually enjoying their day.

The one thing most in common with them, however, was the way their expressions would sour when I walked by. I felt a bit uncomfortable with all of the glares and analytical looks they gave me.

"It's because of the way you're dressed."

I looked questioningly at Alicia, who seemed to know what I was thinking.

She shrugged, "You are wearing an Atlas uniform, after all."

"What's so bad about it." I asked, "It's not like you guys are at war, or anything right?" Alicia scrunched her face a bit, and I realized I had accidentally hit the nail on the head.

"We're... not at war right now, per say." she replied slowly, "But I guess it's more like… everyone's kind of anxious about whether or not there will be another one."

"Another one?"

"You see, a long time ago there actually was a big war between the regions of Sanus, Solitas, and Anima. It was mostly between Atlas and Vale, but everyone was involved in some way. It was called the Great War."

"The Great War, huh." I muttered, "Guess some things are pretty common, no matter what world you're in."

Alicia tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"There's a similar event that happened where I come from, it was also originally called the Great War." I left out the part where it was actually only the first Great War, and that a second one changed it to being World War One. I cupped my chin, "That explains Fort Gallia though, I guess."

"Fort Gallia was one of the last Atlesian outposts constructed during the war. They tried to establish a frontline on the southern end of Sanus, but it took too long. By the time the outpost was usable, the Atlesian army was in full retreat."

"So, Vale was able to stop the invasion?" I asked.

Alicia nodded, "The Valic army was able to hold back the advance long enough for special reinforcements to arrive and push the Atlesian army back. After losing their foothold on Sanus, Atlas had no choice but to surrender and pull all forces out of the kingdom."

"Special reinforcements?" I asked.

"Yeah." Alicia replied, "They're supposedly a specially trained group of soldiers with strength that makes just one of them rival an entire platoon of normal troops. Though, I don't know anyone that's ever seen one in person, so it could just be a story I guess."

That sounded a lot like Huntsman to me. Guess they aren't as common here now.

"I guess you guys are more in a kind of Cold War then, huh?"

Alicia seemed puzzled, "Cold War?"

"Um." I tried to explain, "It's kind of like both sides having a really tense relationship, but not actually fighting. So, the Great War would be considered hot, since there was actual fighting going on, or something." I scratched my head, "Though I could be wrong."

"Huh… A hot war and a cold war…" Alicia contemplated my words.

I decided to change topics, "What about those creatures in the forest? What are they?" I asked.

"Those?" Alicia replied, "They're the creatures of Grimm. They usually stay away from the bigger cities and towns, but will go after anyone traveling between them. Other than that," she shrugged, "No one really knows. I've heard they're more common on the Dark Continent though."

"Dark Continent?"

"It's a big landmass to the northwest of Sanus. No one ever goes there, though. Too dangerous and too barren for colonization supposedly."

Alicia stopped walking and turned to me, "Anyways, here we are!"

I stopped as well and looked to the building she was gesturing at, "A bakery?"

"That's right." she replied as she led the way into the store, "I'm an apprentice here, when I'm not working with the Bruhltown Watch, that is."

I grinned and followed her inside, taking a deep breath as the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries filled my senses, "It smells amazing."

"Right? Hang on, I'll get us something to eat from the back."

Alicia disappeared behind the counter and into the back room. I could hear her talking joyfully with a masculine sounding voice, likely the owner, as I took a seat at one of the three open tables.

Aside from me, the place was pretty much empty. It probably got busier during the morning hours, like bakeries back home.

"The boss is busy with work," I looked up as Alicia returned carrying a platter of baked goods, "but he said we can have these, they would probably get thrown out anyway if they're not eaten."

The platter had a few rolls, some sliced bread, and some butter and cream that smelled particularly sweet.

I tentatively picked up one of the rolls under the watchful gaze of Alicia, who seemed to be awaiting my reaction. I took a single bite of the roll, and felt my body greedily accept the offering as it had been the first real bit of food I've had in the last twenty-four hours.

"It's great!" I exclaimed and bit into the roll once more. The triumphant smile from Alicia told me that my reaction was expected, though whether or not my hunger had anything to do with the taste was up for debate.

The two of us ate in silence, and I found out that the sweet smelling sauce actually made the bread taste like a cinnamon roll, just without the cinnamon. I did my best not to act like a complete slob as I tried to fill my stomach as quickly as possible, and thankfully Alicia didn't comment on it. I was hungry, dammit.

"So, what's your world like?"

I paused for a moment before tossing the last bit of bread into my mouth and following it with a bit of water we had with us.

"I guess you could say it's a bit more… advanced, in terms of technology and stuff." I replied. Alicia listened curiously as I talked, "But aside from that, I guess we might be pretty similar. Though, my world doesn't have any Grimm or anything like that. We've even made it into space, if you can believe that."

Alicia's eyes widened, "Space?! But how? Dust doesn't work in space."

"Well, we also don't have Dust either." I replied with a grin, "We use other kinds of energy, kinds that DO work in space."

"That's amazing!" she said, "With your knowledge, we could change our world into one that won't need to rely on Dust for everything. It could solve a lot of problems."

I scratched my cheek, "Well… I mean, I guess. I'm not sure if I could tell you how it all works though, unfortunately. I don't know much about that kind of stuff. I just work in a warehouse."

"Still, even just the possibility could do a lot of good." Alicia replied with a smile.

I shrugged and let out a small yawn, covering it with my fist.

"Tired, huh?"

I nodded, "Yeah, pretty sure my body wants rest now that I've eaten."

Alicia stood up, "Well let's get you to where you're staying at for the night."

I rose as well, "What about my stuff?" I asked.

"Don't worry, it'll be at the same place." she replied.

I followed her out of the bakery and back onto the streets. The sour looks returned and I immediately promised myself that I'd switch back to my normal clothes from that day on. I'd rather look weird than look like some kind of menace.

"This is the place."

I looked up at the two-story building that would be my home for the next few days. It was similar to many of the other buildings we had passed, and was near the edge of the town so it was pretty isolated from the hustle-and-bustle of the busy streets.

"I happen to know the person who lives here, actually." Alicia commented as she rapped the back of her hand on the front door. "They're also a part of the watch."

We waited for several seconds, but there was no response from inside. Alicia frowned and prepared to knock again, when a loud clang of something heavy being dropped came from a nearby shed.

The two of us jumped at the sound, and I gave a questioning look to Alicia. Her expression shifted from surprise to exasperation as she sighed and walked towards the shed.

The shed was fairly large, almost enough so to be classified as a sort of barn or secondary housing. It had a set of large wooden doors that were slightly ajar, and the sound of someone moving around could be heard from within.

Alicia stepped up to the opening and loudly knocked her hand against the open door, "Velvet, it's Alicia. We're coming in."

Velvet? Huh, guess I'm meeting even more characters today.

It was really hard to tell who I was going to meet next. At the very least I was glad everyone I had met so far were good people.

When an affirmative sounding tone replied, Alicia turned and waved at me to follow her inside.

As I stepped through the door, I was surprised to be greeted with the sight of the Edelweiss sitting in the center of the large space inside.

Scattered around the somewhat-impounded tank were a variety of parts, machinery, metal sheets, and grease stains. It was similar to walking into a mechanic's shop, only with more firepower.

"Velvet!" Alicia called out to the room, "Come introduce yourself. I brought the mystery tank driver like we talked about at HQ."

"You did?!" The response echoed from within the partially disassembled tank and was followed by the appearance of a pair of brown rabbit ears appearing from the drivers hatch.

A moment later, the owner of said ears lifted themselves halfway out of the hatch. Velvet Scarlatina was wearing a similar colored outfit to Alicia, though instead of a uniform, she had on a set of coveralls that were covered in oils and grease. She even had a small amount of the black substance smeared on her cheek, which she apparently didn't seem to even notice.

Velvet's eyes identified Alicia for a moment before gliding over to me and narrowing.

"You!" she called.

I immediately felt my nerves tighten up as I realized that, instead of being welcomed happily like I imagined, I was now being targeted like someone who had just committed a felony.

Velvet hoisted herself out of the tank and dropped to the ground before marching up to me, "Do you realize how utterly STUPID you need to be to even attempt to drive this thing?!"

I weakly raised my hands beside my head in surrender, "W-What? I don't-"

"Not only was the entire thing practically being held together by rubber bands," she cut me off, "the gods forsaken engine was running so hot by the time I got ahold of it that it may as well have been a bloody time bomb!"

The enraged faunus prodded me in the chest harshly, causing me to take a step back out of self-preservation.

She stared me down for several seconds before taking a deep breath and rubbing her forehead, "You're lucky to even be alive, you know that, right?"

I stammered, "U-Umm… Oops?"

"Oops?!" Velvet prepared to unleash another verbal assault on me as Alicia stepped between us and gestured to each of us in turn.

"This is Velvet," Alicia said. Her tone made her sound unbothered by her friend's rage, "she's an old friend and a mechanic for the Bruhltown Watch. Velvet, this is Brad. And yes, he's very lucky to have not blown up on his way here."

"A pleasure…" I greeted nervously.

Velvet glared at me before sighing, "Likewise, I suppose. I guess I should at least thank you for giving me something interesting to do for the next few days."

"Excited to work on this scrap heap?" Alicia asked.

Velvet crossed her arms, "It's not scrap, and yes I am. It beats the usual busywork they send my way."

"You're fixing the tank?" I asked, surprised.

Velvet tilted her head back and forth, "Well… fixing, completely rebuilding. Depends how you look at it I guess." She motioned us over to a nearby table with more parts and a hand-drawn diagram of the tank on it.

"The majority of the chassis needs to be repaired, as well as several sections of the armor plating." She pointed to different sections of the diagram as she spoke, "The engine will likely need to be switched out entirely, the interior compartment needs refurbishing, treads replaced, controls updated… and let's not even talk about the power supply…" she groaned.

Alicia whistled, "Wow. Almost sounds like too much trouble to want to deal with, to me."

Velvet shrugged, "We have plenty of spare parts from decommissioned tanks and vehicles that I can use. Most of the work is coming from just how old the parts and systems are, it actually runs just fine otherwise."

"It's definitely sturdy, I can vouch for that." I commented.

Velvet deadpanned, "It's basically a brick with a gun on it. This model was built to last, even if it was discontinued shortly after production." She shook her head, "Anyway, I suppose we should get you settled in. Follow me, I left your belongings in the main house. Don't worry, I didn't snoop around."

I turned to follow Velvet, "I appreciate it." Having had my belongings investigated once today already was enough for me.

Velvet led me into the house and showed me the spare room I would be living in for the time being. She hadn't been told my whole story prior to meeting me, so Alicia and I helped fill her in on my situation.

She was pretty skeptical, and Alicia admitted that she wasn't completely sold on my story either, but told me that as long as I didn't do anything to cause problems that I could stay as long as I needed. Within reason, of course.

Once I had been officially situated, Alicia bid us goodbye as she returned to the Watch Headquarters. Velvet left me in my new room and said that she would be in the garage if I needed anything.

I would have been surprised at the amount of freedom I was actually given, but by then I was so tired I could barely think straight. I instead stumbled to the bed I was provided and proceeded to fall into the best sleep I'd had since arriving in this world.

**(A/N: Wasn't planning on updating today, but I was asked nicely to do so. XD)**


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